MasukThe balcony door had been open for more than 2 hours, and the sun was about to set.Lillian had stopped keeping track of time since she had sat there. She couldn't even tell how long she had been there. She sat still, her cheeks turned red from crying. She didn't want to keep crying because there was no use. Jessie’s voice kept replaying in her head.You didn't even want it, and you got it all. The way she'd laughed when she said it, Don't you remember when I told you he was hot?Lillian remembered when Jessie admired a young billionaire and told her about it, but that was a long time ago. She had no idea it was Alex not until today, and that was the heaviest thing in her chest right now. She realized she had been careless with it, and she just missed it. She pressed the heel of her hand on her chin and exhaled deeply. Jessie had felt invisible. She stayed and watched things fall into Lillian's lap that she'd wanted badly and never gotten.That was why she couldn't let go. She als
The apartment became quiet after Justin left for school, and everything felt different. Lillian had been awake since six. She had made coffee and sat with it on the dining table until it went cold. Then she went into her room and opened the drawer where she had hidden the folder. She brought it to the kitchen table and waited for Jessie. Jessie finished with her morning routine and came out around eight-thirty in her robe, her hair loose around her shoulders. She had expected an ordinary morning where she would make breakfast and fresh coffee. Then she saw the folder, and her facial expression changed. Lillian noticed the change in her expression before she forced her face to be normal. Over the past few months, she had been at Alex’s, and she had learned how to recognize the moment before someone lied. She had watched powerful men hide the truth behind calm faces and steady voices but noticed their lies. She saw it now on Jessie. “Sit down,” Lillian said.Jessie slowly sat, h
The next morning, Lililian walked into Jessie’s closet searching for a spare toothpaste. They had forgot to M to get some while doing grocery shopping yesterday. She opened the cabinet, and searched the spare products when her eyes landed on the pin. A pregnancy test was sitting on top of the a folded tissue paper with a visible result showing negative. Lillian eyes narrowed. “What?”She stood up and reached for the toothpaste and then she walked out to look for Jessie. Jessie had left her room and she was in the kitchen making coffee. “Jessie,” She turned when she heard Lillian’s voice. “Hey relax, not even a good morning. What is it?” Jessie smiled. "I wasn't snooping," Lillian said. "I was looking for toothpaste." She paused and looked at Jessie in the eyes. "Are you okay? Jessie, talk to me."Jessie looked at her coffee cup. "It's nothing. Just a scare. It was negative.""Are you sure you're alright?""I'm fine." She looked up. Smiled. "Honestly, I'm fine.”Lillian felt diff
On a Thursday afternoon, Jessie sat down with a cup of warm coffee on the sofa with Lillian. Her hands wrapped around the cup as she drank. Lillian sat with her legs folded on the sofa, her eyes fixed on Jessie. Then Jessie set her cup down. “I need to tell you something."Lillian looked up, furrowing her brows. "It wasn't Vicenzo who gave the order about Baba," she said softly. "It was Alex. He gave the authorization. Vicenzo just carried out what Alex decided."Lillian said nothing. She just stared at her sister's face with concern. The way she said it was like she was so sure of it. She wondered where Jessie got her information and whether Jessie thought she was a fool for thinking she didn't know she had been Vincenzo's informant."I know what happened, Jessie," she said. "Alex told me everything, and I believe him."Jessie's facial expression changed. “What?” she asked."He told me his part in it. All of it. He didn't try to come out looking better." She set her own cup down.
Lillian was lying in bed. She pulled the soft duvet over herself and lost herself in her thoughts. Jessie stayed awake staring at her phone in her room. She sat upright, her hand cupping her face, her elbows resting on her knees. She had been waiting for Vicenzo’s text. The room lit up again, and Lillian’s phone flashed. A notification came in. She could read it without picking up the phone. Breaking: Alexander Nick was photographed at an exclusive club with an unidentified woman.Her eyes widened, and she reached for the phone, and her mind went blank. Her jaw dropped. Before her brain could process it, her body had already become weak. She lay still on the bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She didn't know how to react.It was so hard not to believe because she knew Alex. He had never been seen with a woman so close except with her. If he is this comfortable with a woman, then they have something going on already. Lillian felt used at that moment because she thought Alex kne
The hospital visit had turned into a normal thing for Lillian. After a few weeks of visits, she began to feel comfortable. The antiseptic no longer smells.What she noticed was her mother. There was a small green plant resting beside the window, and the leaves were facing the sun.On the bedside table, there was a picture frame of their family, all four of them, which was taken years ago. Her mother's legs were covered in a soft yellow blanket, which gave her warmth. Her mother had always possessed a quiet talent for making any place feel inhabited, even loved, with her presence and grand gestures. Lillian stepped into the room carrying a grocery bag filled with things for her mother. She brought fresh fruit, tea bags, flowers, and magazines. Clara looked away from the TV as Lilian walked in, and her gaze landed on Lilian; then she noticed the look. “Where is he?” she asked, and Lillian stood still. She wanted to pretend not to hear her mother, but she knew it would be a waste o
Alex’s POV:The walk back to my room felt endless. Torture and killing were not new to me, but tonight it felt different. I felt guilty, as if I had done something wrong. Diego's screams replayed in my head, the way he coughed out blood and the pains in his eyes. The way he spoke about powers bigg
The room was quiet and bright. The morning sun reflected into her room. Lillian sank onto the floor, her back against the door, and her arms were wrapped around her knees. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she sobbed bitterly. Alex stood in the kitchen staring at the closed lid; his hand was clenche
The garden became silent with just me staring at Diego’s unconscious body. The soft sound of crickets became louder, and the clouds darkened. I took a few steps backwards, trying to catch my breath. Before I could gather my thoughts, shadows moved swiftly between the fences. Alex’s men appeared as
Lillian’s POV“Wait!” I screamed; my voice cracked, and tears were beginning to gather in my eyes. “I will do it,” I said, feeling a huge lump in my throat. My mother’s life, her fragile life, flashed before my eyes, and my fist tightened. Her memories filled my mind, her warm hand holding me when







